


A Shock To The System

by pure_ecstasy6



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 21:50:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18039695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pure_ecstasy6/pseuds/pure_ecstasy6
Summary: I will try to post more of this soon... I have about six chapters done... There will be plenty more to come I just hope the muse will come back to me not just for this story but all of my current fanfic.





	1. Chapter 1

~*~

Miranda growled under her breath as yet another man tried to fake charm her. The event was doing nothing for her bad mood. Instead it made her more irritated. She once again put on her fake smile as another couple came to greet her.

Emily was looking at her boss and saw her getting grumpier by the minute which caused the English woman to get even more jittery. She knew better then to approach Miranda and see if she needed anything to try make this event go smoother for her. That was not how it worked between them. Strictly work and nothing else. She had learned this the hard way on her first day at Runway.

So Emily Charlton just stood back behind Miranda and hoped her mood wouldn't worsen. She smiled the fake smile she'd learnt from Miranda when another couple stopped in front of Miranda and the words they spoke went through one ear and out the other as it wasn't anything important they were talking about.

Miranda as always just put on the charm as she listened to the couple speaking and did small polite chatter before they left. She turned around and glanced at her assistant. "Another glass of champagne." she said, handing her empty flute over to the red head.

"Yes Miranda." Emily replied, and turned on her heel and headed towards a nearby waiter.

Sighing deeply at having a moment of peace to herself Miranda cast her eyes around the room. Her eyes landed on the small group of reporters and she was disappointed to see that Andrea wasn't apart of them. She had sent out an invitation for Andrea to be apart of the reporters group and was annoyed to find that Andrea had declined. It was the fourth time this year she had tried reaching out to the younger woman. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way with how they had parted ways a year ago but she still felt a strong connection to the young brunette.

With another sigh Miranda turned her head back to the left of the room until her eyes landed on two Soldier's who were walking towards her, their faces were unreadable, and she just knew that what they were here to tell her the words she had been dreading to hear when Cassidy dropped the bombshell to her that she would be joining the Military and going over to Afghanistan.

"Miranda Priestly?" The man with broad shoulders on the right inquired.

Miranda could only nod as her throat had already gone dry and constricted as she felt oncoming tears behind her eyes. Please don't say what I think you're going to say. Please. Please. Please. She said to herself over and over again. But as they lowered their hats from their heads and she saw the solemn look on their faces she knew instantly what they were here to tell her. They didn't even need to speak. She felt tears forming in her eyes and her throat tightening and she found she couldn't swallow as she tried, but failed, to choke back her tears. They began falling down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them as she felt her chest tightening.

Emily turned from the waitress with Miranda's glass of champagne in her hand and began to walk back towards Miranda until she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two Solider's in front of her boss and the solemn looks on their faces. To everyone in the room it was obvious why they were there. She gasped when she saw Miranda sway on the spot and one of the Soldier's stepped forward in time to grab Miranda with strong arms. She hurried over to her boss and was shocked when she heard a nearby person calling for an Ambulance as she realised Miranda was clutching her chest. Oh God. Emily thought. Please don't have a heart attack on me! I don't think I can deal with this! She continued to say to herself but she knew she would need to stay strong for Miranda.

Never in her life did Emily Charlton think she would see Miranda Priestly this way; hurt, broken, and in so much pain. It was a shock to her system.

~*~

Flying thirty thousand feet above the ground on a plane coming back from London, Andy Sachs looked out the window at the beautiful white clouds. She always loved to fly, even when she was a little kid she found it exciting and still did. She knew she should be working on her Article that was to be going to print in three days but she couldn't help but to admire the world outside her.

When she heard someone clear their throat beside her she narrowed her eyes and wondered what on earth the flight assistant wanted with her this time. She took out her ear plugs and with her best fake smile and turning on the charm she looked up at the young blonde who was clearly attracted to her. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"You have an urgent phone call miss." The blonde said to her. "Would you follow me please?"

Andy frowned and nodded as she undid her seat belt. She stood and followed the flight assistant towards the front of the cabin and accepted the phone from her. "Hello?" she said curiously into the device.

"Andy, have you seen the news?" Lily questioned.

"No? I'm on a plane remember." Andy replied.

"Yes, well you need to get online as soon as you can and check the news. This is something I don't think I should be the one to tell you." Lily replied.

Andy frowned. "Um okay. Was there anything else?"

"No. Just look at the news when you can." Lily replied, her voice sounding very solemn causing Andy to wonder what had happened and so many worried thoughts came into her head. There was only one major thing she could think of that may have happened and it was something she never wanted to have to read about.

"Alright. Well thanks for telling me Lily. I'll look as soon as I can." Andy replied, knowing straight as she sat back down she would be getting her phone out and going online.  
When she sat down she pulled out her cell from her bag and clicked into the Safari application on her iPhone and loaded the NEWS page. The first picture that popped up was what she had expected, unfortunately. It was of Cassidy Priestly in her Military Uniform and next to it was another picture of an explosion of a Military vehicle.

It has been reported that Private Cassidy Priestly has been killed in action.

It read underneath the picture.

Andy felt her heart quicken in her chest and her throat go dry as tears welled up her eyes.

The next few were pictures of Miranda leaving a Runway event with the aid of Paramedics with heart problems. The look of utter sadness and devastation on Miranda's face was enough to have tears falling down Andy's cheeks. "Oh god." she mumbled to herself. "Please tell me this is one huge sick joke." she said to herself even knowing it was true.  
"Mommy?" The little companion beside her said.

Andy looked down and smiled sadly. "Yes Baby I'm right here. Go back to sleep." she said, as she fought to control her features. The last thing she needed was the flight attendant to come over and see if she could do anything for her. As she read over the article again and looked at the pictures her mood worsened. This was the one thing she knew both her and Miranda had been dreading when Cassidy informed them she was applying into the Military and everyday they had prayed she would be alright but obviously these prayers weren't answered.

With more tears flowing down her cheeks she knew she needed to see Miranda. Knowing that, besides everything that happened in the past between the two of them, Miranda would need her, now more than ever, much like she needed the older woman.

~*~


	2. A Shock To The System

~*~

~ Somewhere in Manhattan ~

Miranda pushed away the Paramedics hands who was trying to keep the oxygen mask on her face. "I don't need this!" she snapped. She began taking off the blood pressure monitor strap that was on her arm and let it fall to the ground.

"Ma'am, you really should go to the hospital to get a further check up." The female paramedic said.

Miranda shook her head. "I feel perfectly fine now. I didn't need any of this." she replied. "Stop this Ambulance right now or I will have you out of your jobs within seconds." she said glaring at the two medics with dead serious eyes.

The paramedics stared at her before the male knocked on the window to the front of the van. "Pull over, Amanda."

"What? We're five minutes away from the hospital." Amanda replied.

"Just pull over."

The ambulance pulled over a few seconds later and the female medic opened the back doors. "This really isn't advised."

"Yes well, I'm quite aware of that, and if I start feeling the same later I will call my doctor." Miranda replied as she began to climb out of the ambulance and was glad to see Roy had been able to pull up behind them, having been following the ambulance.

"The townhouse." Miranda said as she closed the door to the town car.

"Are you su-" Roy started and was quickly cut off.

"Do not question me. To the townhouse." Miranda replied, her voice harder now. She pulled out her iPhone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Caroline's number. She closed her eyes and raised the cell to her ear. She was dreading the conversation to come but her daughter had to find out from her and not the NEWS.

"You've reached Caroline. Please leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Caroline's cheery voice said on the other end of the line telling Miranda her daughters' phone was switched off and probably in her work locker.

Miranda disconnected the call and opened up her Contacts again to find her daughters work number and connected the call.

"Northwestern Memorial Lucas Ward, Rebecca Masters speaking, how can I help you?"

"Rebecca, it's Miranda Priestly. Is Caroline available to speak?" Miranda asked, tone professional and serious, she couldn't let her emotions through, she had to be strong for her daughter.

"Oh, hi Miranda. No sorry, she was called into an Emergency Surgery an hour ago. She'll be in there for another two hours. I can get her to call you back once she's out?" Rebecca replied.

Miranda sighed and rubbed at her forehead. "Whatever happens you do not let Caroline leave that OR without speaking to me first. She cannot see any form of NEWS." she spoke knowing that probably every Waiting Area and Nurses Station and Patient Rooms had the TV on and most likely playing the NEWS.

"Why can't she-" Rebecca started to speak but stopped when she decided to glance up to the TV on the other side of the room where she could see a clear picture of Caroline's identical twin sister in her Military uniform and without needing to hear the reporters who was speaking knew what had happened. She gasped in shock. "No." she whispered.

Miranda sighed again. "You cannot let her see any TV screens, do you understand?" she said knowing that they're probably coming up with so much false information, even though she herself didn't fully know what had happened in Afghanistan with her daughter. There was no doubt it was all bullshit that the NEWS outlets were spewing.

"Yes, of course." Rebecca replied. She touched her forehead with a shaking hand and dreaded seeing the look of devastation she knew would be on Caroline's face when she saw her next. "Miranda, I'm so, so sorry." she said softly to the older woman who she had gotten to know pretty closely since befriending Caroline a few years ago.

"Yes. Well, I will call back in two hours and I want to be put through to the operating room that Caroline is in to talk to her before she even walks out of the door." Miranda replied.  
"I will make sure that happens, Miranda." Rebecca replied.

"Thank you." Miranda said before pulling the phone away from her ear and disconnecting the call. She laid her head back against the seats head rest as more tears began to fill her eyes. She covered her face with her hands as she sobbed quietly and it was only when she heard the privacy screen going up that she realised she hadn't even bothered to ask Roy to put it up.

~ An Hour and Sixty Five Minutes Later ~

Miranda sat in her study alone as she nursed her fourth glass of whisky on top of the five glasses of Champagne she'd had earlier to be able to get through the Runway Event and having hardly anything to eat for dinner as there had been no time. The whisky had instantly gone to her head. She didn't care though; it was a better feeling than utterly numb as she had felt on the ride home. As soon as she'd walked through the door of her home she had been met with Emily, Serena, and Nigel who had been hovering in the foyer. She dismissed them telling them they could leave. However they refused and said they would be staying at the Townhouse until Caroline was able to get there. Had the circumstances been different she would have felt touched by their obvious concern for her, but the numb feeling made her walk silently upstairs, shut herself in her study and walk instantly over to her Bar.

She picked up her phone and connected the call to the Northwestern Memorial again where her daughter was an Attending Surgeon and one of the best Heart Surgeons in the country. Everyone went to the Chicago hospital wanting her to operate on them.

Rebecca Masters, whom Miranda had spoken to quite a lot since Caroline had gotten her the position four years ago, answered the phone in her usual work tone even knowing who was going to be on the other end.

"Hello Rebecca, is Caroline finished yet?" Miranda questioned.

"I called in there about fifteen minutes ago and Caroline was about to close up the patient." Rebecca replied.

"Can I get put through?" Miranda asked.

"Yes, I'll do that right now." Rebecca replied.

"Thank you." Miranda said as she let her head fall into her hand. She listened to the call waiting music and it was two minutes later when she heard another voice on the other end. "I need to speak to Caroline urgently." she said to the nurse.

~ Northwestern Memorial Hospital ~

"Another amazing job by all of you. Thank you." Caroline said to her Interns and Nurses before she watched as her Patient was wheeled out of the OR. She couldn't wait to speak to his family to let them know the surgery went brilliantly with no complications.

"Dr Priestly, your Mom is on the line."

Caroline looked over at the Nurse that stood by the phone and raised an eyebrow. She knew her Mom was going to some fancy Runway event tonight and wondered why she would be calling her. "Hey Mom, can I call you back in a few minutes? I just gotta wash up and take my scrubs off - blood all over them - surgery went wonderfully though and Jim is going to live a full and healthy life if he sticks to a healthy diet regime and exercise regime." she said, smiling widely. She always loved speaking about her job.

"That's wonderful darling I know you're always doing a fantastic job in the OR." Miranda replied before sighing and rubbing, hard, at her forehead. "Sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you."

Caroline frowned at her Mother's voice. Devastation was quite clear in the tone and she knew that whatever it was her Mother clearly didn't want to have to say. Deep down Caroline knew what her Mom was going to say, and she was correct as her Mom began telling her what the Soldiers had said.

"Are you there still sweetheart?" Miranda asked jolting Caroline from her thoughts.

"Yep, I'm here. I'm.... I'll leave straight away. I mean, I'll have to talk to the Chief, but I'm sure he'll understand. My... my patients... Fuck there is so many that I promised I would perform surgeries on and they're gonna hate me for handing them over to a complete stranger." Caroline said going off onto a completely different subject.

Miranda knew this was the way Caroline was going to cope with all of this until she was home. She would not break down, not yet. Her daughters were such strong women and were able to stay solid and strong for a long while until they let themselves cry. Exactly like her.

"They'll just have to deal with it though. Mark Hardy is a better surgeon anyway. Umm... I'm not sure if Daniel will be able to get time off work to come through, but I'll have to bring the kids because his parents are away and our friends are always busy with their own work. We'll get the Red Eye, much quicker. How are you dealing with all of this?" Caroline then asked abruptly.

Miranda would have sent a Jet but at this time of night it wouldn't be able to get there in time for when Caroline would be leaving. "Let's talk about that when you get here, yes? I just want to make sure that you are going to be alright until you get here?"

Caroline laughed. "Yes, I'll be absolutely fine. You know what Mitchell is like, he'll be cracking jokes on the whole flight."

Miranda could hear the falseness in her daughters' voice, but didn't comment on it. "Alright, message me your flight details and I'll have a car at the airport to bring you home."  
"Okay, thanks Mom. I'll see you in a few hours." Caroline replied.

Usually Miranda would be the one to disconnect a call but she waited until her daughter hung up.

"Thanks Mandy." Caroline murmured as she handed the phone back to the Nurse and walked in a daze out of the OR. She pulled off her gloves and threw them into the nearby waste bin and turned on the taps and began to soap her hands up.

When someone leaned next to her and turned off the taps she realised she had been standing there for at least a good couple of minutes with the hot burning water searing onto her hands. She stared at her red hands until turning to the person who stood next to her and was relieved to see her good friend Rebecca Masters.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out, it was then that she realised her cheeks were wet with tears. She silently accepted the hand towel from Rebecca and dried her hands.  
"Don't worry about your patients I will make sure Hardy tends to all of them with anything they need." Rebecca said.

Caroline nodded. "Thanks Bec." she said.

"Go on and take your scrubs off, maybe have a shower, while I'll go talk to the chief. He'll understand that you aren't going in yourself. I'll meet you at your place in half an hour to help you pack." Rebecca said.

"No, you don't have to do all of that for me." Caroline replied.

Rebecca smiled and squeezed Caroline's arm. "Honey, you're my one and only best friend. I am going to do whatever you need through this hard time you're going to be going through." she murmured. "And you know I would come with you to Manhattan, but my Mom-"

"I know,; you need to be here for your Mom." Caroline replied. "I couldn't ask you to come home with me anyway when you have your own life and work to do."

"My work isn't as important as you." Rebecca replied.

Caroline smiled. "You're amazing. Thank you." she said as she pulled her best friend in for a tight embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you." she murmured.  
"I'm sure you'd be alright!" Rebecca replied.

Caroline nodded and wiped at her eyes. "I should go change." she said and then looked down to Rebecca's scrubs. "Looks like you should too. I'm sorry, I forgot about the blood on my top."

Rebecca waved the red heads words away. "It's fine. I can easily get another." she said. "I'll see you soon." she said and she watched as Caroline left the room. She stared at the door as it fell shut behind her best friend, the woman who held her heart. "I love you." she whispered to the empty room wishing like nothing she could be there as Caroline's partner through this hard time. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. She needed to stop these thoughts when Caroline was happily married with three kids. She too began to walk out the door to find herself another shirt before she went to speak with Lionel Richards, Chief of the Hospital.

~*~

Freshly showered Caroline walked out of the employee bathroom/locker area and headed towards the elevators. Once inside she ignored the looks she was getting from the people that were in the car with her and pressed the Ground button.

It seemed like forever until the elevator came to a stop on the Lobby floor and she walked out ahead of the rest of who was in there with her. She headed for the revolving doors and pushed through them. As she took her first step outside, she was blinded on the spot by the flashed of camera's and people shouting at her.

"How are you coping after hearing the news of your twins' death?" One yelled.

"Do you know if Miranda Priestly is okay with the heart problems she was having after hearing the news?"

"Will we expect to see Andy Sachs reunite with Miranda after this has happened?"

"Are you going to continue working here or are you going to relocated to a Hospital in Manhattan?"

Caroline opened her mouth but nothing came out. She just stood frozen to the spot as she stared at the faces of the reporters through the flashes of the camera's. Before she fully realised what was happening someone grabbed her and practically dragged her back inside the hospital just as she heard another reporter call out one last question.

"When will Cassidy's body be brought back over to the States?"

"Oh god." Caroline said and tears began pouring out of her eyes as she looked up through blurry eyes to stare into Chief Lionel's concerned ones. "Thank you." she whispered as she allowed the man to lead her into an empty waiting room. She watched as her Chief shut the door and closed the blinds. She managed to compose herself by the time he turned back around. "I'm not usually like that." she said as she sat down on one of the chairs. "Whenever I'm confronted with the paparazzi I just put on the fake smile, say a few pleasantries or nothing at all, and push on through them to get where I need to go. But tonight..." she began to choke up again. "Tonight they're talking about my sister. My sister who has died in a evil foreign country in a ridiculously stupid War." she said as she stared at the Chief. "I just want this to be some sick stupid joke."

~*~

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to post more of this soon... I have about six chapters done... There will be plenty more to come I just hope the muse will come back to me not just for this story but all of my current fanfic.


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